Daily Republican., 1887-05-05
DEsTNUCTIvE FIRE.
sp Extensive Woodworking Establish.
nent Consumsd-Firemon Injured by
Falling Walls.

rnens Consumsd--Firemon Injured b,
Falling Walls.
PHILADELPHIA, May b.-At sever
minutes before IL O'Clock last mig b,
IOaioer George Lewis, Of the Eighth dis
Itrict, discovered flames issuing frou
Ithe top floor of j. w. Boughton's ex
tensive wood working establish uept
lon the north side OF Willow street, be
Tween Twelfth and Thirteenth.
An alarm was promptly sent out from
the box at the Reading Railroad depot
but the flames. owing to the combusti
BILE nature OF the stock, gained sucf
head way that another alarm WAS semi
lout i've mlputes later. The building
had @ front on Willow street OF about
II5O feet, by . depth of 10 feet. was Of
brick, four stories high, with deep base
ment, and was filled with valuable
stock and machinery, some Of which
WAS only lately put In.
The flames were first seen issuinQ
from the north west corner OF the ffth
floor, and by the time the Hremen ar
RI ved and got to work had epread
tbr ,uRhou the whole structure, 80 that
nothing could be done but TO save I'D
joining property.
On MolAnd avenue, running from
Twelfth TO Thirteenth street, in the re ar
Of the mill, are eight tbree-story brick
dwellings, which for time were placed
| in jeopardy by the inteuse heat and the
fieroeness Of the flames, which swept
over the narrow space intervening be
tween them and the mill. Many Of the
occupants of these houses removed
their household goods to places OF
safety.
The same wae the case with the occu-
pants Of eight houses en- Hamilton
street. The light OF the fre WAS seen
for q great distance, and attracted AL
i'm menss crowd Of spectators.
During the progress OF the FIRE por
tion Of the west wall OF the nill fell ont
with tremendous crash on the roof of
the iron foundry Of Thomas Davy on
Willow street, on which Ave fremen
were standing battling with the flames.
As the roof went In with the debris,
/ II carried with 1t Michael Mcclellan, /,
fireman Of No. 81, Joseph Lewis, OF No
q, end Robert Wilsey, OF Truck k, nil
OF whom escaped with light injuries.
Mcclellan ano Lewis sustained painful
but not serious bruises, and Wilsey had
his knee cap sprained. Shortly after
wards thrse other portions OF the wall
fell, the crashes resembling almost con-
tlu uous peals Of thunder. One OF them
again fell on the roof OF DAvy's iron
foundry, carrying down the portion
that had escaped before.
The Reading Railroad Com pany's ex
tensiye stables ON the south side of
Willow street caught fire several times,
bnt the prom pt application OF water by
the firemen, in face OF the great heat
and narrow thoroughfare, kept them
from being deatr0yed. Two horses be.
longing to ]. w. Boughton were rescued
by a watchman Of one of the neig hbor
ing coal yards as soon as the flames
were discovered.
II is said that Mr.. Boughton, whose
principal business was the making OF
wood carpet, screens and mosqui
doors. valued his building, stock and
machinery, all OF which is DESTROYED,
at abc ut $50. COO, on which he had from
$50 coo to S35, 900 insurance. The place
Is Daid to have been fully equipped with
lire appliances. but It Is thought there
was no opportunity 10 use them.
There was watohman on the premi.
sea. who is probably the only person
who could give an account of the origin
OF The fire, but he could not be found
either during or after the FIRE, leading
to the report that be had been buried
In the Iuins, but the truth OF this could
not be ascertained. About two years
ago the same building was entirely do
stroyed by Are, and only recently has
betn fitted up anew.